Bush's Blog Women's Preview; USA vs. China

by Phil Bush

Phil Bush, FIVB Broadcaster

Over the previous three decades, you'd be hard pressed to find someone in athletics with a greater level of expertise in volleyball production and promotion than Phil Bush.  He will be entering his fourth year working for the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) as a broadcaster on the FIVB “Match of the Week.”  He has also handled 17 seasons working for FSN South, ESPNU, CSS and Sun Sports providing both play-by-play and color analysis on volleyball broadcasts.  Through his MavRen Marketing & Productions company, Bush has worked in the production and promotion of volleyball events for over 25 years. 


                                                   

vs.

 Wednesday, 3PM ET

The USA women are now 2-0 in this very difficult Pool A, but if you look at the other pool you'll see EVERY match has been 3-1, except for the Brazil/Turkey match... and that went 3-2!  So, the USA being 2-0 means a lot more, given that this very experienced coaching staff likely saw that this was going to be a highly competitive pool and prepared their team for it.

Against Brazil, the team executed well for the most part, but there are still some areas they will continue to focus on.  China played the USA very close in the World Grand Prix earlier this year.  Both sides will have memories of this match, and this is where the experience of the USA will really come into play.   The USA did some great things against Brazil, holding them to just a .269 hitting efficiency.  Despite China and Brazil being two different styles of teams, those same strong points should continue.  

Keep watching the USA for:

- Continued offensive diversity: The middle blockers need to keep getting swings.  This will be very important against China on Wednesday!

- Higher sets: The sets can go higher, and I know I keep repeating myself, but in the middle.

- Focus on tougher serving: The servers have another gear, and it's time to break it out.  I'm not saying they have been serving easy, of course, just that they can keep dialing it up and against China now would be a good time to do so.

- Plan on the long rally showdown: What China loves to do more than most teams is extend long rallies.  The USA can play that game when they have to, and against China they will need to win those points where each team takes three-plus swings.  If China wins those first few long rally points...Team USA could be in trouble. 

- Shuffle the line-ups some more:  I believe that all 12 players are necessary in this situation when you are faced with continuous tight matches.  We will definitely need to see other reserves play a role against China.

- Continue letting the team, particularly the experienced players, run things on the floor.  

More about China:

China is a team that has been through some up and down times during the current quad, but in the last two years Coach Yu Juemin has the team playing much better, including a top-5 finish in the World Grand Prix earlier this year.   What separates the Chinese team from the other Olympic squads is their diversity.  In their first two matches, all of their offensive weapons have been used and used well.

China's key players to watch:  Wang Yimei

Wang Yimei

Wang Yimei broke onto the national team at the young age of 17, making her team debut back in 2005.  Just a few years later at the Beijing Olympic Games, she finished the tournament ranked second in scoring at the age of 20.  She appears to be fully healed from the ankle surgery she had earlier in the year, but it just takes one slightly awkward landing for an injury like that to crop up again.  It's certainly something to keep an eye on as the Olympics progress. 

One of the most formidable attackers in the world,  Wang certainly has the largest presence on the team despite their offensive diversity.  Recording 10 kills in her most recent match against Turkey, her vertical spike has been measured at over 10.5 feet and her block at 10.3 feet.  If China's going to defeat a confident USA squad, she will need to have a big match to draw the attention away from her teammates.

Hui Ruogi

Hui Ruogi

HUI Ruoqi would be one of those teammates. She is an all-around player that has a key role both on offense and defense.  In their 3-1 win over Turkey, Hui totaled 10 kills, six blogs and eight digs...so she can be a real thorn on the USA's side in multiple areas of the game.  Don't sleep on her when it's her turn to serve, she is tied for first in the Olympics with five service aces.  If she's running on all cylinders from behind the line, it could be a long day for Team USA.

Next Match:  USA vs. Serbia - August 3rd at 3:00 PM ET


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